How fat is America? Dr. Maier shares some disturbing statistics Show Notes

Just how fat is America?According to a story from Associated Press, a health advocacy group has released a report predicting that in less than 20 years, more than half the people in 39 states will be obese.

Mississippi is expected to keep its title as the fattest state in the nation for at least two more decades. The report predicts 67 percent of that state's adults will be obese by 2030; that would be an astounding increase from Mississippi's current obesity rate of 35 percent.

These new projections are from for America's Health, which regularly reports on obesity to raise awareness.

The group predicts that 20 years from now, every state in the US will have obesity rates above 44 percent by

About two-thirds of Americans are overweight now. That includes those who are obese, a group that accounts for about 36 percent. Obesity is defined as having a body-mass index of 30 or more, a measure of weight for height.

Trust for America's Health officials said their projections are based in part on state-by-state surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1999 through 2010. The phone surveys ask residents to self-report their height and weight; people aren't always so accurate about that.

CDC officials declined to comment on the new report.

Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, says it's clear that the nation's weight problem is going to continue, escalating the number of cases of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. He says that by 2030, medical costs from treating obesity-related diseases are likely to increase to $66 billion dollars per year.

To read the complete report, and to find out the predicted obesity rates for the states in our area, go to healthyamericans.org.